Central London has a ‘chronic’ issue with street clutter such as disused phone boxes and discarded e-bikes, a think tank has warned.
A new report from Centre for London found that advertising boards, rubbish bags and other types of street clutter make it difficult to walk around the capital.
This could potentially reduce footfall for local businesses and poses a ‘major threat’ to London’s status as an attractive global city for visitors, according to the think tank.
The report recommends that the Greater London Authority should ban A boards and calls on local authorities to develop decluttering strategies.
It also recommended that local councils work with business improvement districts (BIDs) to reduce the impact of commercial waste on local streets.
Millie Mitchell, Senior Researcher at Centre for London, said: ‘London is a fantastic global city, but it isn’t going far enough in ensuring everyone can enjoy walking in its city centre equally.
‘Our research has revealed the growing accessibility issues that street clutter presents. It’s stopping people from walking to where they need to be, and the knock-on impacts are worrying for businesses, for London’s net-zero targets, and for disabled Londoners.
‘With the right action from government, businesses and local authorities, we can make sure the need to reduce street clutter is taken more seriously. This would make London a role model for urban walkability across the world.’
